Castillo's Cafe and Catering

This Cuban restaurant is in Tampa on N. Armenia Avenue. I first found this little place a couple of years ago after visiting Cigar City Brewery. We walked into this tiny place filled with cuban men, all eating the special of the day, and our waitress barely spoke English. I fell in love with the place immediately! Castillo's has since moved into a larger location just down the road, but this was my first time back since the move. The space is definitely larger and was not as crowded as the last time I was there,which changes the vibe a little.
As we sat down and looked at the menu the waitress brought over warm, pressed, cuban bread with plenty of butter on it. So good! Had to hold back from finishing the basket before my lunch came or I wouldn't have room for all I wanted to eat!!!
My husband and I started with the empanadas filled with picadillo. They came out hot, crispy, with a nice tasty house made picadillo. The dough was thin and flaky, just as it should be.  My husband's empanada had two nice juicy olives init, but mine had none. Of course he hates olives and I love them... luck of the draw, right? 
On my last visit I ordered the cuban sandwich and a cup of black bean soup. I loved the cuban, its flavors were spot on, but the black bean soup was a little flavorless. This time I wanted to try something different so I ordered the 1/2 roasted pork sandwich and the spanish bean soup. The sandwich is served on pressed, crisp cuban bread. It is filled with pork stewed in mojo seasonings and topped with sautéed onions.  I loved that the bread on this sandwich was thin and crispy. It let you really taste the pork and onions instead of getting a mouthful of bread. The pork was moist and tender, if a little bland on its own. It did need the onions to pick up the flavor a little bit. Overall though, the total bite with the bread, pork, and onions worked well. 
I had to ask for my soup because the waitress forgot it, and she was so apologetic she brought me a dessert on the house. The soup was garbanzo beans with smoked ham and chorizo. It was very good. It is a thick, hearty soup that can easily fill you up. I loved the flavor the smoked ham gave to it.
The dessert that she gave me was a flan. The custard was rich and creamy, a nice way to end the meal!
Bottom Line: I would go back again for the empanadas and the cuban sandwich. 
http://www.castilloscafe.com